Process for the production of ethylene oxide

Abstract

In a process of producing ethylene oxide by contacting ethylene and oxygen with a main body of a solid catalyst in a reaction zone and passing product from that zone through a substantial volume to a cooler, acetaldehyde is produced by isomerization of ethylene oxide in the volume. The acetaldehyde content of the gases entering the cooler is reduced in this invention by passing them through a second, smaller bed of catalyst before the gases are passed to the cooler.

I claim: 
     
       1. In a process of producing ethylene oxide by contacting ethylene and oxygen with a main body of a solid catalyst in a reaction zone, recovering a gaseous reaction product from the said zone and passing the gaseous reaction product to a cooler, the improvement which comprises passing the gaseous reaction product after its recovery from said reaction zone but before passing it to the cooler through a second, smaller bed of a catalyst for the oxidation of ethylene with oxygen to ethylene oxide whereby the acetaldehyde content of the reaction product is decreased before the reaction product enters the cooler. 
     
     
       2. A process as claimed in claim 1, in which the main body of catalyst is a fixed bed packed in a tubular reactor. 
     
     
       3. A process as claimed in claim 2 in which the outlets of the tubes of the tubular reactor feed into a zone in which gases emerging from the tubes are rapidly mixed transversely by contact with solids. 
     
     
       4. A process as claimed in claim 3 in which the gases are mixed transversely without substantial cooling. 
     
     
       5. A process as claimed in claim 4 in which the gases are mixed transversely using packing elements of metal or ceramic material which have an ordered structure. 
     
     
       6. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the second bed of catalyst is 0.5% to 5% of the volume of the first bed.